Trying to install new hard drive in MacBook Pro

[SocceRich20]

My Mac friends, I need your help in the foreign (to me) language of Apple. I inherited a MacBook Pro without a hard drive. I went out and got a new 500GB Hitachi drive, ripped the Mac apart, installed it, and tried to install OS X via DVD. No go, it wouldn't detect the hard drive. I took the hard drive out, connected it via a USB enclosure, and it shows up. I format it as a GUID Partition, and install OSX with it connected as an external. Everything went fine, it boots into OSX and runs 100% when connected as an external drive. However, when I connect it directly as an internal drive on the laptop, it refuses to work. I get a gray screen with a flashing folder icon. Can you guys point me in the right direction?

FYI, it's an aluminum non-unibody MacBook Pro with an Intel CPU.

 

[valve1138]

That might be why you got a free macbook pro, the internal hard drive bay/controller/whatever is dead.

When you boot off the external case go into the System Profiler and see if the SATA controller shows up.

Also, did you get the hardware test disc? Drop that in and run it.

 

[SocceRich20]

Internal controller/cable is fine. Found that apparently these Macs have trouble with new 3Gb/s SATA drives. Apparently I have to go to the Mac store and have them roll the firmware back in order to use it.

 

[Valkyrie]

Most drives have a jumper you can set on them to lower the speed to 1.5Gb/s. If it is having problems with the 3Gb/s speed that may fix it. You shouldn't even notice a difference in the apparent speed of the drive.